Keep Your Thoughts to Yourself
by poopingaround
Summary: Arthur has the ability to read minds, and he has finally learned to quiet the voices in his head. That is, until some loud thinkers begin to enter his mind forcefully; some kinder than others. USUK, GERITA, and other pairings.


Arthur sat down at the café table. The café was bustling with people talking in low tones. His hands twisted his hands around the cup rotating it absentmindedly. His forehead sweated a little bit as he bit his bottom lip and clutched his cup tightly. He just had to concentrate and he could block it out. He could do it. He had done it before with the help of his mentor and he had done it once on his own, but it was never in such a public place. He just wanted to relax but he knew the moment he did all the voices would rush back into his head at once. Voices of the young and the old, of boys and girls, of parents and children. Everybody surrounding him had their own thoughts but only Arthur was forced to join them. He was telepathic.

Most people would rejoice at having being physic, but not Arthur. He has no use for reading minds. All it did was cause trouble in his life from the moment doctors tried to label him a schizophrenic to the trying times his mentor saved him. He hated everything, not just his power, but people as well. He hated how he heard everything and how he never got a moment of peace from the daily drama if other people's lives. So he learned to block them out. It took him a long time and less he concentrated voices would attack his brain until he went crazy.

This café he went to was usually empty, except for a few regulars. He hadn't expected this influx of college students but now they were everywhere. Their voices rapidly describing scenes, stresses and worries that Arthur truly did not care about. Arthur rubbed his temples. He almost had it. The voices were dimming and his mind was becoming much calmer. Arthur took a sip of tea slowly since his hands were still shaking. He gritted his teething to try and stop his shaking but then it happened.

_DUDE, I CAN'T BELIEVE HE GOT IT BEFORE I DID! WHAT AN ASS!_

Even through his concentration the voice penetrated and rang loudly like he was being screamed at. Instinctually Arthur's hands flew up to his ears. He glanced around the room with wide eyes. He could see where the voice was coming from but he could still here it. Slowly lowering his hands, he continued to scan the room. He heard it again.

_THIS IS REALLY GROSS! HOW DO THESE PEOPLE DRINK THIS STUFF?_

How such a boorish voice could be heard so clearly, was beyond him, but Arthur was determined to shut this person up, even if it did make him look like a foolish, crazy individual.

"Dude, can't we just go get coffee? This tea stuff is rank!"

Arthur almost put his hands up to his ears when he realized he had heard the voice outside of his head. He quickly moved his head around, craning his neck to see past a couple enjoying one of the couches in the café. Past them, two males sat at a table. One sat with his back towards Arthur, his jet black hair being the only thing he could see along with a green and white sweat jacket. Seated to his right at the table was a dirty blond, his height greater than that of his dark haired counterpart. From the side, Arthur could see his messy hair and the attempt he must have made to get it stay down, although his cowlick showed no promise of being tamed. He was wearing a brown letterman and, although it was difficult, Arthur noticed him blue shirt with a superman symbol on the front. His smudged jeans and converse confirmed it. The kid was only in college.

Arthur sat back in his chair. He could fight the glare that grew on his face as the boy's thoughts continually bombarded his mind.

_CAN'T WE LEAVE SO THAT WE CAN PLAY THE NEW GAME?_

_WOW, THIS HONEY IS THE SHIT!_

… _WHAT THE HELL?_

_WHY IS THIS DUDE STAREING AT ME?_

Arthur quickly turned his head back to his cup quickly. How long had he been staring? It wasn't like it was his fault! He had been sitting there minding his own mind when this idiot ruined his only peace for the day! He could feel his grip tighten around his cup. He quickly let it go, scared he might crack it. He got up abruptly. He quickly grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulder before placing a bill or two on the table and leaving. He needed to get far away from this individual before his brain imploded with stupidity. As soon as he got outside he felt the cold wind brush against his face and the wind mess his blond hair up even farther. Arthur pulled his jacket closer to his face and made his way down the street.

If he wasn't in such a fit of fury he wouldn't have accidently taking the long way around, Arthur would have gotten to his job on time. Instead he took the main roads and with the crowding of students passing by this time of year it was incredibly busy. When Arthur saw the shop, he couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.

The store was has a brick exterior with wide glass windows and a green stripped awning shading the door. The large sign look worn from age, so it was only a matter of time before they were going to have to climb up and clean it off. The thought made Arthur cringe. He opened the glass front door and was welcomed by the sound of the bells jingling.

The interior had a warm atmosphere. The carpet was a dark green and every wall was converted into a mahogany bookcase where the books were labeled and shelved. The other bookcases that protrude from the wall gave the place almost seem like a maze of books. The way it was arranged made it seem as though it was intentional; almost a cruel trap of books. In parts of the library there were small desks and tables hidden in the store. It was quite so many students who could find peace the library found it here. Those students didn't bother Arthur. The kids were usually quiet and when Arthur did listen to their thoughts they were usually intellectual inner thoughts about whatever they were reading. They were nothing like that other ignorant voice he would never think about again.

Making his way to the back of the store, he opened the storage door slowly. Maybe if he was lucky his boss was in the library doing inventory. He could just grab his apron and…

"You are late," the blond man said not looking up from the stack of papers on the desk. Or not…

Arthur hadn't noticed him in the back of the room. He was sitting at a small desk lit up but a lamp and an open window. His blond hair was long with one strand braided to the side. If Arthur could see his expression he knew he would have been frowning. "Yes, sorry Mr. G," Arthur said putting his bag down and pulling on a green apron with a logo on the front. Arthur didn't get a response.

_Get to work; I don't understand why you are standing here…_

Arthur grimaced at the tone of the inner thought he receive from his boss but he quickly left the back room and went to the front of the store. It was quiet and Arthur could make out the small whispers of thought from a few people.

Arthur grabbed a cart of freshly bound books that had just been returned and pushed it to the one of the aisles. He scanned the book with the scan gun that hung on the side of cart then placed it on the shelf. He had only gotten to his third book when heard the sound of the bells from the front door. Arthur could help himself but read the thoughts of the new arrivals. It helped him decide if he was going to bother helping them or not. The thoughts of all three people entered his mind in jumbled snippets.

_Y donde es el libro Lovino me dijo a llevara? __[1]_

_That girl looks like she could use some help in her love life._

_Please stop looking at me… _

Shit. Arthur quickly moved down the aisle behind the cart. He knew exactly who it was. The blond pulled a couple of books from a low shelf and caught the side of two people near a book case next to one of the desk. The long, wavy haired one was leaning on the desk talking to an overly flustered girl who continued to giggle. The other one was a mess brunette and his attention was on the bookcase and he seemed to be completely lost.

Rolling his eyes, Arthur put the books back where he had found them. He did not want to have to deal with his coworker's friend again. Not after the last time. He couldn't move to the back either because he couldn't pass the open gap without being seen. He frowned and turned to his open to side when he noticed another worker. He stared back at Arthur, and they shared a moment of silence. The man was taller than Arthur and his blond hair was slicked back. He was the store owner relative, how they were related, Arthur couldn't remember but he did remember this man's name. It was Ludwig.

Arthur nodded his head toward the two people. Ludwig's eyebrows rose only slightly before he shook his head 'no'. He pointed at Arthur then to the people. Arthur frowned and placed he hands on his hips. He shook his head just as quickly. The stood there for a couple minutes in a silent argument, well silent for Ludwig since Arthur could read all his thoughts, before a book pushed forward and fell next to Arthur. Arthur jumped back in surprise but then he saw a green eye look at him through the bookshelf, he dropped his shoulders.

"Ah!" the brown haired boy said as he spotted Arthur through the bookshelf. Arthur inwardly groaned. He noticed that Ludwig has also taken this chance to busy himself elsewhere. Arthur would have to remember to pay him back for this later.

"Uh… Arthur, right?" the brown haired man said making his way around the bookcase. He had a nervous smile on his face.

_"__Creo que ese es su nombre...?" __[2]_

Arthur bit his lips before answering. Arthur could read his thought but he didn't understand them. It was really annoying, so Arthur pulled himself out of the man's head

"Yes, I'm Arthur," he replied observing the other's movements.

The man had physically relaxed a bit. "Oh, I don't know if you remembered, I'm Antonio…"

No, he didn't. "Oh yes, you're Gilbert's friend right?" Arthur said passively.

Antonio smiled and nodded his head. "Yes, yes."

"Right then," Arthur said slightly frowning at the man's happier expression, "What do you need?"

Antonio fumbled with the paper in his hand. "Uhm...it's called… um…"

"Give it to me," Arthur said have snatching the paper for him hands, "So all you need is _Psychology of Human Adjustment_ and _Shooting Under Fire_… I'll show you where they are." Arthur handed him back the paper before leading him to two different bookshelves. By the time they were done getting the books, Gilbert's other friend, who introduced himself as Francis, had joined them at the checkout counter. Arthur felt his fist ball, when reading Francis's thoughts. Maybe it was the French but everything he heard sounded like an innuendo. The urge to vomit was growing by the time he was bagging the books.

He handed the bag over to Antonio. As Antonio took the bag of the counter, Arthur heard the sound of bells tinkling. He glanced towards the door and, acting on instinct, he ducked under the counter.

_HEH, DUDE THIS PLACE IS QUIET! NO WONDER KIKU WANTS TO COME HERE!_

The words penetrated his skull, making Arthur wince and grab his temple. He felt some sweat gather in his palms which he quickly wiped on his pants.

"Are you okay?"

Arthur looked up to see Antonio and Francis looking over the counter. He frowned greatly at them. He very slowly lifted himself up, but only to where his eyes were over the counter. "Thank you for shopping, now please leave," he said before catching a glimpse of who he was hiding from. He was almost tempted to hide.

_THESE BOOKS SURE ARE BORING…_

Antonio shrugged. "Okay, bye! Tell Gilbert we stopped by!" he said making his way to the door.

"Until next time, Mon Cher," Francis said winking at Arthur, who would have given him the finger if he wasn't so distracted.

Arthur stayed half hidden behind the counter, watching the blond man. The thoughts that ran through his head seemed not to have any rhyme or reason but they seemed observant. He hadn't noticed the blonde's friend had gone missing until Arthur felt a shadow cast over him.

"Excuse me." He looked up into the Asian man's face. Surprised, Arthur jumped up. The man moved back, he had only a mild look of surprise on his face.

"Sorry about that…" Arthur said quickly. It was taking a lot of concentration to keep the loud mouth out of his head while speaking. "What can I help you with?"

The other stared at him before speaking, "I would like to order these?"

"Yes, of course," Arthur said reached under the counter to grab a form. HE took a pen from one of the cups. "I'll need you name, address, and phone number."

All Arthur received was a curt nodded. He glanced over slightly to read the man's name: Kiku. When Kiku looked up at him Arthur quickly tried to look busy. "Finished?" he said warily.

Kiku nodded and handed him the paper. "When will they come?" he asked watching Arthur put the paper back under the counter.

"If all the books are common then one to two days. If they are obscure a couple of weeks," Arthur said reciting what he always said.

Kiku nodded in response.

_OH SHIT, CHECK THIS OUT!_

Arthur felt himself grit his teeth as the blonde made his way over. For someone who was younger than him, Arthur grimaced at the height difference. He all but shoved the book toward Kiku.

"Dude, check it. They do have… oh, did you get your book… hey there!"

Arthur blinked. He could barely make out what they man was saying. It was almost identical to the way the man thought. "Hi," Arthur said slowly.

"Nice to meet you Ar-th-ur," he said his finger pointing at Arthur's name tag as he said the name, "My name's Alfred."

_CUTE NAME…_

"Thanks but I never asked," Arthur said before he could stop himself.

_WOAH THERE…_

"Well excuse me princess…" Alfred muttered under his breath, his face twisted in a slight pout.

_GEEZ! MAN YOU'RE THE ONE WHO WAS CHECKING ME OUT!_

Arthur forced his face from turning red; anger or embarrassment he couldn't tell. His hands balled into a fist. He wasn't checking anybody out! He was actually trying to hide! Arthur glared hard but before he could speak, he was interrupted.

"I guess we better get going…" Kiku said giving Arthur a small smile. "Goodbye."

_アルフレッドさん。。。話しすぎですよ。。。__[3]_

"See ya, Ar-th-ur," Alfred said dragging his name purposefully.

_I TAKE IT BACK! THOSE EYEBROWS CAN GO EAT YOUR FACE!_

Arthur grimaced and didn't say anything. He watched as the bells rang out. He groaned slightly before slumping onto the counter. He was in a "hate everything around him" mood at that moment; mostly his ability and the fact that he was stuck with it for the rest of his life.

"Did you just chase another customer away?"

Arthur looked up with a glare as Ludwig stood in front of him. "Quiet you!" Arthur said harshly, "You left me to die back there."

Ludwig held up his hands in a sign of mock surrender. "No I didn't. I saw you could handle it and went to stock the backroom."

"Bloody bullshit" Arthur muttered under his breath as he laid his head back onto the table. Arthur reached under the counter. "Here," he said handing the paper to Ludwig not bothering to look up, "we have and order." He felt the paper leave his hands as it was taken away from him.

"I'll do the order then," Ludwig said evenly. Before he could say another word, Arthur put up a hand slowly.

"No thanks," he said and sat back up, "I'll talk to him later about it." Ludwig nodded slowly. "I'll sat up front," Arthur continued, "I got the register, don't worry about it."

Arthur watched as Ludwig eyed him warily before disappearing into the rows of shelves. Arthur massaged his head. Today was going to be a long day.

* * *

**Translations:**

**[1] Now what was the book Lovino told me to get?**

**[2] I think that's his name…. **

**[3] Alfred… you talk too much.**

**So this story might have a free mistakes because I didn't want to bother my friend who always betas my stuff. I write all the time and I didn't want to bother her again. So if you see any mistakes just tell me and I'll fix them~!**


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